


unMarked

by 8ucky8arnes



Series: fragMents [7]
Category: The Gifted (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Season 2 spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-17
Updated: 2018-11-17
Packaged: 2019-08-25 02:15:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16652365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/8ucky8arnes/pseuds/8ucky8arnes
Summary: For a split second, Clarice wanted to turn around…to see whatever expression was playing across his face, but the urge was gone as quickly as it’d come. She knew what she would see, what she’dalreadyseen.Anger.Betrayal.Disappointment.





	unMarked

For a split second, Clarice wanted to turn around…to see whatever expression was playing across his face, but the urge was gone as quickly as it’d come. She knew what she would see, what she’d _already_ seen.

Anger.

Betrayal.

_Disappointment._

With each step she took, the lump in her throat grew and grew, Clarice choking back the tears as she turned another corner. She ripped out the contacts, the desire to _run_ thrumming through her so intensely…but she hesitated when she went to open a portal.

The apartment wasn’t an option nor the clinic…

She had no one to talk to, nowhere to go, except…

Clarice looked over her shoulder, where she’d left John.

She didn’t want to leave him standing there, stewing in his anger, but she couldn’t deal with the fighting right now…especially with him. He’d been her stability, her safe place, her eye of the storm since the Atlanta station had fallen but now she was watching him crumble…watching _them_ crumble and Clarice hated that _she’d_ become one of the reasons why.

Mind made up, she tore open a portal and jumped through.

The temperature drop had her pulling her jacket tight around her as she approached the entrance, not the least bit surprised to find Erg among the mutants standing at the mouth of the sewage tunnel. Her heart clenched and she shouldered past him, glad that no one stopped her when she did.

She found her spot from before, shoving her hands into her pockets.

“I didn’t think I’d see you back so soon, Blink.”

She tried to clear her throat, but her voice was still hoarse, “I’m not really in the mood for a chat.”

He hummed, “The _Underground_ not to your liking?”

Clarice worked her jaw, blinking back the tears, “Can we not do this now?”

He didn’t respond to her waspish tone, just inclining his head and walking away.

She leaned back against the wall, watching everyone mill about without a care in the world. _What would it feel like not to worry? Not to hide?_ Clarice shook her head at the last thought. While the old her might’ve come here without a second thought, being with the Underground, being with _John_ , had changed that. But the thought of being in a place where she didn’t have to hide who she was…

“Are you alright?”

She hurriedly wiped away the tears, turning to the voice. “Yeah, I’m…I’m fine.”

Glow looked at her with sad knowing gaze, “No…you’re not.”

Clarice’s eyes were drawn to the bandages covering the healing brand for just a split second before she dropped them to her lap. She didn’t know how she was supposed to respond to the woman’s words, but she found herself smiling when the small glowing orbs began to float around her. “It’s a mess up there right now and…I just needed to get away for a little bit.”

Glow nodded, “If I may ask…what happened?”

If Clarice had the energy she might’ve snapped back with a _mind your own business_ or _why do you care_ but she was just tired and she knew the woman didn’t have ill intentions. She’d seen the interactions between her and Marcos… “Erg had me get information for him when we first met, a trade and then when I brought you all in, I helped steal some food. John, my…boyfriend, didn’t take too kindly to finding that out.”

“He was the one who tried to help Micheal, right?”

Clarice nodded.

“Why didn’t he like that?”

She ran a hand through her hair, “He has so much hope for what the Underground stands for, what it holds for the future but by me working with Erg and not telling him…” Clarice looked down at her hands, “He thinks that I’ve lost faith in that…in him.”

“Have you…lost faith?”

She sighed, “In him? Never. But the Underground…” Clarice watched the orbs float through the air and wondered why humans ever thought they were dangerous. “It’s hard to believe in the goodness of humanity when I haven’t…”

“Been treated as human?”

“Something like that.” Clarice ran a hand through her hair, “I just…I don’t know what we’re doing anymore or who we’re even fighting. Between the Inner Circle and the Purifiers, I feel like we’re surrounded on all sides. We keep losing people and everyone’s so desperate _not_ to that they’ll run in without a plan just to save _anyone_ that they can and…”

Glow hummed, “You’re angry?”

Clarice worked her jaw, “ _Everyone’s_ angry.”

The woman shook her head, “I didn’t ask about them, I asked about you. Why are _you_ angry?”

She bit back another sigh, “Honestly…it’s so tangled I couldn’t even _begin_ to pull it apart.”

Glow gave her a small smile, hand resting on her knee, “What brought you down here?”

_“You needed help and it was the only way to get it. I’m sorry if you don’t see it that way.”_

 “John. I made the deal with Erg because of John.” She swallowed back the lump once again forming in her throat, eyes burning. “We’ve lost so many people… _he’s_ lost so many people. He feels responsible and he so desperate to prove himself that these last few months, hell these last few _weeks,_ I’ve just been watching him unravel more and more. Erg had information about the Inner Circle and about our friends that were with them and he…he _needed_ it…”

“You wanted to help.”

She cleared her throat, “Yeah, well when I said that…he was _not_ happy.”

“He’s scared, Clarice.”

She looked over at the woman, “No, I’m _pretty_ sure he was angry.”

Glow moved the orbs around absently, casting her thoughtful expression in a soft blue light, “There is more than one way to express fear, Clarice. Some people hide. Some people run…” she met Clarice’s eyes directly, “and some people lash out.”

 She let out a ragged breath.

“Now I don’t know him like you do, but from what I’ve heard...John is a man who has lost a lot in so little time…whether it be because of death or ideological differences.” She sat down next to Clarice and drew up a leg, resting her chin on her knee. She looked over at Clarice, “When you told him about Erg, he was scared that he was losing you like he lost his friend.”

Clarice wrung her hands, “Okay, I get what you’re saying, but there’s still…”

“Still what?”

Her eyes drifted to her branded cheek, hesitating when she finally spoke, “He’s never had to hide who he was. No matter how many times he _says_ his understands or calls me beautiful…” her voice cracked as she remembered how gently his thumb had brushed over her markings, how warm and soft and so full of _love_ his eyes had been... “He’ll _never_ understand.”

“That doesn’t make his words any less true.”

Clarice just sighed.

She’d never doubted John’s words. He was always honest with her, regardless if it pissed her off or not and despite his soldier façade, he didn’t want to fight because he had so much _hope_ ….so much _faith_ for a better future despite everything and everyone telling him to just give up, to let it go... “You didn’t see his face, he was so… _disappointed_ in me.”

“Sorry to interrupt.” Erg did _not_ sound apologetic in the slightest, “May I talk to you, Blink?”

The orbs faded and Glow nodded, squeezing her knee once before standing.

“What do you want, Erg?” she cocked her head to the side, “More corn flakes?”

The man just shook his head, “One would think you’re upset with me.”

“If makes you feel any better, I’m upset with a lot of people right now.” She shoved her hands back into her pockets as she leaned back against the wall, fingernails digging into her palms. “So you can either spit it out or leave me alone.”

He narrowed his eye, the glass and metal eyepatch gleaming in the low light.

She clenched her jaw, “Erg…”

“Well,” he came to stand next to her, looking out at the community, “I just thought I’d let you know that your boyfriend is currently stalking the tunnels as we speak. He’s doing a number on the walls and the pipes and his hands…”

A coldness squeezed her heart and she cut him off, “Why are you telling me this?”

He watched her carefully, “You care for him, don’t you?”

“Why would you ask me that?”

“Go talk to him…he’s near the entrance.”

She pushed off the wall.

“I’ll see you around, Blink.”

She nodded as she turned to pull open a portal, shutting it behind her just as quickly. Clarice took a second to steady her shaking hands, to calm her racing heart, before opening another double portal to a hundred feet in front of her.

John sat with his back against the brick wall he’d just been striking, head bowed and forearms resting on drawn up knees. He didn’t move when she stepped out of the portal, only flexing his bruised and bloodied hands in response to her arrival.

She swallowed, “John…”

He looked at her through a curtain of dark hair.

Clarice stayed just out of arm’s reach, “Why are you here?”

“I tracked you.”

She nearly snorted, “You know that’s not what I meant.”

His jaw flexed.

Clarice pursed her lips…she did _not_ have the patience to pull teeth right now, “John…”

He sighed, “What do you want me to say, Clarice?”

_“What we’re doing here doesn’t work if we’re not honest with each other.”_

She took another step forward, “Just be _honest_ with me.”

“Like you were honest with me?”

Clarice nearly winced at the hollow, weary tone. There was no fire in the barb, but it hurt nonetheless. Although, she probably deserved that one… “John, I don’t want to fight anymore just…please answer the question. Why are you here?”

“I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Clarice blinked, “ _Really?_ Because last I checked, you were still pissed at me.”

John got to his feet, “That doesn’t mean I don’t care for your safety.”

“My…” she paused, deciphering the _fear_ and the _worry_ and the _guilt_ swirling behind his eyes.

He’d always been difficult to read, but it was like what she’d said earlier. He was coming apart at the seams, all his stoicism crumbling under the strain of every loss. There was hollow disbelief there as well that reminded her of the drive from the mental hospital. Her stomach dropped as she took another step closer, “John, what happened?”

“The Inner Circle hit a bank, Creed Financial, a little over thirty minutes ago.”

“And…?”

“Thirty-three people are dead. All human.”

She shivered at the news, wrapping her arms around herself as the cool, damp air seemed to seep into her very bones. There was a heaviness in the air, a sudden stillness that had nothing to do with the fact that they were underground…a monumental shift.

It was like watching Lorna pull the plane from the air.

Nothing for mutants would be the same now.

She was surprised to find John’s arms around her moments later, but she didn’t push him away, didn’t say anything. Instead, she held onto him and closed her eyes, her fingers curling into the fabric of his tank top as she drew on his ever-present warmth to chase away the coldness sitting in her chest.

Clarice knew better than to think this meant forgiveness, but for the moment, it was a reminder that they were still here…still _alive_ despite everything that this pointless, endless war had taken from them…was _still_ taking from them.

John pulled away first and she saw flicker of pain before he closed himself off again.

She wiped her hands on her jeans, palms still tingling like they always did when she touched him. Her stomach clenched as the tension between them returned, but she took a deep breath and pushed the resulting nausea aside. “John…”

“When you’re done here, we’ll need help moving people from the station in Richmond…”

“I can leave now.”

He tied back his hair, “Nothing pressing?”

“I think we both know why I came here.”

John looked over at her, “Then let’s get back to the apartment. Marcos is waiting for us.”

She opened the portal without preamble, watching Marcos’ dark eyes flit between the two of them with a furrowed brow. Clarice almost had half a mind to snap at him, knowing it was him who brought the whole Erg situation up to John, but she held back.

He knew, better than most, the damage secrets could do.

She shook her head when Marcos looked at her again.

They would talk through it like the adults they were and Clarice wanted, more than anything, to know that they would come out on the other side after that conversation unscathed. Whole. Together…but she didn’t miss the distance John was putting between them now.

Maybe there was only so much strain they could take before they collapsed.

Maybe she hoped for too much.

Only time would tell.


End file.
